The release by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway of the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (H.R. 2) assures America’s farmers and ranchers that congressional agriculture leaders recognize the

Guest Opinion

A major wave of consolidation that kicked off in 2016 continues to move forward with the U.S. Department of Justice allowing chemical producer Bayer to acquire the U.S.-based seed company Monsanto, reported yesterday.

“As giant transnational corporations increase their power over the market, independent farmers are left with fewer options and suffer from less competition among input providers,” said Center for Rural Affairs Policy Associate Anna Johnson.

Guest Opinion

The Center for Rural Affairs stands for rural communities, and we, too, believe that an essential foundation for vital rural communities consists of a healthy economy and diverse farming models.

Many of the policies we support – organic agriculture, Value-Added Producer Grants, rural microloans – we chose to fight for because they make space for farmers and ranchers to access new or alternative income streams.

Guest Opinion

Snow may still be on the ground, but last year’s wildfire season isn’t too far from memory. We have good news for Montanans, though. After years of negotiation, we have finally secured a deal that moves forward on much-needed forest management reforms.

Agriculture and the local government tax base is being threatened by policy changes the BLM is considering. The “public hearings” currently being conducted in Central Montana regarding the American Prairie Reserve requests have been structured by Mr. Albers (BLM boss) as a four-hour afternoon “open house” format to minimize opposition when most people are working, except for the radical environmental/”New World Order” crowd who can thus direct the dialog.